Book Review - The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw

Synopsis:  Seven summers ago, Marcella Atkinson fell in love with Cecil McClatchey, a married father of two. But on the same night their romance abruptly ended, Cecil's wife was found murdered—and their lives changed forever. The case was never solved, and Cecil died soon after, an uncharged suspect.

Now divorced and estranged from her only daughter, Marcella lives alone, mired in grief and guilt. Meanwhile, Cecil's grown son, Jed, returns to the Cape with his sister for the first time in years. One day he finds a woman's bathing suit buried in a closet—a relic, unbeknownst to him, of his father's affair—and, on a hunch, confronts Marcella. When they fall into an affair of their own, their passion temporarily masks the pain of the past, but also leads to crises and revelations they never could have imagined.

First Line:  "Bodies, bodies."

Random Quote:  "They say that looking at the ocean is calming because the horizon is clear.  It's something left from the ancient days - we are always on guard for the enemy, but if we have a clear horizon we can be truly peaceful."

Review:  This is a wonderfully written book about all the ways our actions can have unintended consequences.  The story of an affair and the ripples it leaves in the water, Ms. LeCraw has given us spare and beautiful prose to tell a story that contains equal parts tragedy and joy.

Cape Cod National Seashore - Image via Wikipedia

Set variously in Cape Cod and Atlanta, the book tells the story of two families, interconnected by an affair and the events in its aftermath.  It is also the story of Jed and Callie, brother and sister, orphaned and spending the summer together - each supporting the other as best they can.  Callie's battle with postpartum depression, Jed's inability to connect to anyone, and the way the two keep getting up in the morning and putting one foot in front of the other make them both admirable and interesting characters - neither is perfect, but both are very real.

Less well drawn are Marcella, her ex-husband Anthony, and daughter Toni - a family broken apart by Marcella's affair with Callie and Jed's father.  The connections between these three people are so very tenuous and the characterization of Marcella, a major character in the book, feels half-finished - this is one flaw of an otherwise beautiful story.

The plot of this book isn't what makes it special - it's the writing and the characters - read it for that.

FTC Disclosure:  Advance copy for review from the publisher

Rating:  Purple

Reading Challenges:  ARC Reading Challenge